This is one of my favorite posts to write each year! After reading, managing my reading life is one of my biggest personal hobbies. And writing about my reading life. And analyzing my reading life. And managing the picture books I am going to read to my kids. I might spend more time managing books and finding books to read and all of that than some people spend reading in a year...
I finished 175 books this year, the third year in a row that has been my number (helped by all the chapter books I read to Luke. Don't even try to tell me those don't count!). Of those...
- 35 were rereads (20%)
- 18 were books I read to Luke (some of which were also rereads) (10%)
- 50 were books I/we own (29%)
- 14 were books I bought before reading them (5 of those were digital with Amazon credits because that's the only way I could get them, a few more of those were due to desperation/wanting to support indie bookstores while the library was closed, and a few were heavily suggested gifts Matt gave me). (8%)
- 3 more books I bought later on in the year after enjoying them so much (2%)
- 38 were non-fiction (22%)
And we checked out 1,378 library books/movies this year between all 4 of our cards (145 on mine, 1,233 picture/easy readers, etc. for the boys).
Of the 50 books I've featured as my top 10 for the past 5 years, I now own 25 of them, 9 alone from the 2017 list! Only 2 of 2019's! I find this to be an interesting (to me) measure of what has stuck with me over the years. (I already own 5 of the 10 listed below.) Usually if I like a book enough I want to own a copy.
I always remove rereads when doing this list since I liked them enough to read them again in the first place! And may have already listed them before! Not all of these were published in 2020, although most were. These maybe weren't the best books written but they are all ones I really enjoyed (/appreciated in a few cases).
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Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
When I was starting to brainstorm for this list, before going through my Goodreads, this is one of the books that immediately came to mind. I loved this story of a Jewish family on the East Coast in the 1930s. The family is close knit but still has their secrets and problems. It very much reminded me in tone of one of my all-time favorites, A Hundred Summers which I reread every year. It was exactly what I was hoping this book would be; a rare time expectations match reality. I wrote a whole post about it here! (This is one I have since bought my own copy of.)
When I was starting to brainstorm for this list, before going through my Goodreads, this is one of the books that immediately came to mind. I loved this story of a Jewish family on the East Coast in the 1930s. The family is close knit but still has their secrets and problems. It very much reminded me in tone of one of my all-time favorites, A Hundred Summers which I reread every year. It was exactly what I was hoping this book would be; a rare time expectations match reality. I wrote a whole post about it here! (This is one I have since bought my own copy of.)
Beach Read by Emily Henry
This is a romance book about two college rivals who end up living next door to each other for a summer, on the coast of Lake Michigan (I refuse to believe that anyone is lying on the beach reading books next to Lake Michigan. We've been there in the summer and it's always been cold. I think there is one or two weeks a summer that it's actually comfortable to get in the water). He writes serious literary fiction. She writes romance. They both have writers block. They (for some reason) decide to switch genres and they each will spend the summer writing a book that the other would normally write. They work through some personal issues along the way. I bought this one sight unread and was so glad I did.
This is a romance book about two college rivals who end up living next door to each other for a summer, on the coast of Lake Michigan (I refuse to believe that anyone is lying on the beach reading books next to Lake Michigan. We've been there in the summer and it's always been cold. I think there is one or two weeks a summer that it's actually comfortable to get in the water). He writes serious literary fiction. She writes romance. They both have writers block. They (for some reason) decide to switch genres and they each will spend the summer writing a book that the other would normally write. They work through some personal issues along the way. I bought this one sight unread and was so glad I did.
The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene
I initially bought this book to support an indie bookstore back in the spring but then I was really glad I purchased it and wasn't just waiting for the library to reopen before I could get it. The Office is one of my all-time favorite shows; Matt introduced me to it the summer after we got married, between season 2 and 3 airing on tv. I loved the people involved telling the story behind it, how it came to be, certain characters' arcs. It was such a fun read and made me want to watch the whole show again (even as I slowly work through it with The Office Ladies podcast, even though I'm pretty behind them). I gave it a whole post in the spring and my thoughts are all pretty much still the same!
I initially bought this book to support an indie bookstore back in the spring but then I was really glad I purchased it and wasn't just waiting for the library to reopen before I could get it. The Office is one of my all-time favorite shows; Matt introduced me to it the summer after we got married, between season 2 and 3 airing on tv. I loved the people involved telling the story behind it, how it came to be, certain characters' arcs. It was such a fun read and made me want to watch the whole show again (even as I slowly work through it with The Office Ladies podcast, even though I'm pretty behind them). I gave it a whole post in the spring and my thoughts are all pretty much still the same!
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
This is one I put on library hold mid-summer and think I read on my phone since my library didn't have a paper copy of it (or maybe the digital line was just shorter). It was a quick read but left a lasting impression on how life can be different for black people than white people in America. I appreciated that she approached it from a faith-based lens since that's where I am as well. Deeply moving and hard to read at points but I am glad I did.
This is one I put on library hold mid-summer and think I read on my phone since my library didn't have a paper copy of it (or maybe the digital line was just shorter). It was a quick read but left a lasting impression on how life can be different for black people than white people in America. I appreciated that she approached it from a faith-based lens since that's where I am as well. Deeply moving and hard to read at points but I am glad I did.
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
One of the authors who I've read every work by. I always eagerly anticipate her new books and while I've enjoyed nearly all of them, I don't always remember much of the plot. However, this one I loved AND remember! A "same time next year" plot where two singles have a lovely (read into that what you will) Labor Day weekend together by accident, on Nantucket, naturally. Then they keep it up every Labor Day weekend until of of them is sick and her son doesn't understand why his dying Mom wants him to call the man who is married to the woman who is about to become president. Ok, so maybe it doesn't sound the best but I loved it. She did recaps of what we were all talking about for each year and some of those were off a bit, in my opinion, but it was a fun and enjoyable read. This is another one I have bought since.
One of the authors who I've read every work by. I always eagerly anticipate her new books and while I've enjoyed nearly all of them, I don't always remember much of the plot. However, this one I loved AND remember! A "same time next year" plot where two singles have a lovely (read into that what you will) Labor Day weekend together by accident, on Nantucket, naturally. Then they keep it up every Labor Day weekend until of of them is sick and her son doesn't understand why his dying Mom wants him to call the man who is married to the woman who is about to become president. Ok, so maybe it doesn't sound the best but I loved it. She did recaps of what we were all talking about for each year and some of those were off a bit, in my opinion, but it was a fun and enjoyable read. This is another one I have bought since.
The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar
I remembered liking this book but couldn't remember many plot details but then saw I did read it in January 2020 and then read nearly another 170 books...so I think I can be excused forgetting the details. What initially drew me to this book was seeing that the protagonist was a female pilot in the 1940s, but I was REALLY drawn in when I saw the story started at Pearl Harbor in the fall of 1941. I love Pearl Harbor the movie quite a bit (it's easily in my top 10) so I was all in on a book about a woman pilot there. Even though women pilots were not allowed to fly in combat over seas, they could still help the war effort by moving planes around the states and other help in the US. There are many books about World War II (two just on this list) but I liked the female friendships in this one, how they stuck together and helped each other through the exhaustive training and their war efforts. It got it's own post back here!
HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style by Elizabeth Holmes This
is the second year in a row that a book I've read the week between
Christmas and New Years makes my top 10 list! This is why I can't write
this earlier in the month! I've been following Elizabeth Holmes for a
year-ish and love her fashion takes on Kate (Duchess of Cambridge) and
Meghan (Duchess of Sussex). Matt (after some strong suggestions) got me
the book for Christmas and I devoured it over a few days. It covers
Queen Elizabeth; Diana, Princess of Wales; Kate; and Meghan and their
different styles and how they dressed for the job (and after it, in
Diana's and Meghan's cases). A lot goes into their looks and I
appreciated more insight on that and how fashion can be more important
than just clothes. The British Royals are the only celebrities I really
follow and I loved this deep dive into their styles.
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
This would definitely fall more under the "I appreciated it" umbrella rather than "I loved this!" because it has a very difficult subject - real people telling their real stories of 9/11. I read this book 3+ months ago and have still had my library copy sitting next to my desk, waiting for the time to write a whole post about it. I usually try to write those right away, before the details fade, but in this case, it has stuck with me. I was a new college student on 9/11, I was not even within a couple hundred miles of any of the sights hit that day. It was incredibly interesting and heartbreaking to read the stories of people who were on the ground and in the air and who experienced real terror on that day. Highly recommend to all who can handle hard things (it's not very gruesome, just heartbreaking and sad), especially Americans. So many people did amazing things on 9/11 and their stories deserve to be told and heard.
This would definitely fall more under the "I appreciated it" umbrella rather than "I loved this!" because it has a very difficult subject - real people telling their real stories of 9/11. I read this book 3+ months ago and have still had my library copy sitting next to my desk, waiting for the time to write a whole post about it. I usually try to write those right away, before the details fade, but in this case, it has stuck with me. I was a new college student on 9/11, I was not even within a couple hundred miles of any of the sights hit that day. It was incredibly interesting and heartbreaking to read the stories of people who were on the ground and in the air and who experienced real terror on that day. Highly recommend to all who can handle hard things (it's not very gruesome, just heartbreaking and sad), especially Americans. So many people did amazing things on 9/11 and their stories deserve to be told and heard.
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
There are countless World War II novels and I've read a decent share of them. A lot of them can blend together but I actually remember this one months later which is noteworthy! I gave it it's own post back in August even. It features women getting things done, working under pressure, and saving Jewish kids from the Germans. Also, wartime romance and an elderly woman being very excited to see a book featured on tv in 2005. It completely drew me in and captivated me. Loved it.
There are countless World War II novels and I've read a decent share of them. A lot of them can blend together but I actually remember this one months later which is noteworthy! I gave it it's own post back in August even. It features women getting things done, working under pressure, and saving Jewish kids from the Germans. Also, wartime romance and an elderly woman being very excited to see a book featured on tv in 2005. It completely drew me in and captivated me. Loved it.
Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein
This was a fun rom-com featuring two former Olympic level gymnasts, only one of whom got to actually go to the Olympics, which means failed dreams for one of them. He is coaching an Olympic hopeful for the 2020 games that didn't happen, she is coming in to consult. MAYBE sparks fly. I took gymnastic classes as a kid (never got beyond a round-off) and gymnastics is about my favorite summer games sport so this was just a delight to read. I, obviously, since it's on this list, enjoyed it.
This was a fun rom-com featuring two former Olympic level gymnasts, only one of whom got to actually go to the Olympics, which means failed dreams for one of them. He is coaching an Olympic hopeful for the 2020 games that didn't happen, she is coming in to consult. MAYBE sparks fly. I took gymnastic classes as a kid (never got beyond a round-off) and gymnastics is about my favorite summer games sport so this was just a delight to read. I, obviously, since it's on this list, enjoyed it.
Those were MY favorite reads of 2020, I'd love to hear some of yours!
Favorite {Grown-Up} Reads of 2019
Favorite {Grown-Up} Reads of 2018
Favorite {Grown-Up} Reads of 2017
Favorite {Grown-Up} Reads of 2016
Favorite {Grown-Up} Reads of 2015
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